Unemployed wait, worry about benefits

Laid off almost two years ago, she has watched nervously during the past few weeks to see whether Congress would reauthorize the federal unemployment benefits she relies on to pay her bills.

The most recent development: Republicans would support an extension of jobless benefits if President Barack Obama and the Democrats agreed to extend Bush-era tax cuts to every American, including those making more than $250,000 annually.

Obama announced Monday that he would sign on to that deal — reluctantly — and set about persuading Democrats to join him. During a news conference Tuesday, Obama said he understood Democrats' desire to fight Republicans on tax cuts for the wealthy but argued the battle would have torpedoed the unemployment extension and the middle-class tax cuts.

"This isn't an abstract debate," he said. "This is real money for real people, and it will make a real difference in the lives of the folks who sent us here."

The back-and-forth is a hot topic on the cable news channels, but it's just white noise to Brown and tens of thousands of other Floridians worried about paying the rent and keeping the lights on.

"It's scary," said Brown, 42. "I want these guys in Washington to get together and show some compassion, so we can sleep at night."

Brown and her family make a handy portrait of the recession in Florida. She worked in the banking industry and lost her job as a benefits analyst in February 2009. Her husband, a sheet-metal roofer, had been laid off a year earlier.

Since then, they've been getting by on Brown's unemployment insurance and money her husband earns doing odd jobs — everything from delivering appliances to cutting grass.

At times, their fragile monthly budget cracks under the strain.

"I have a close, personal relationship with OUC [Orlando Utilities Commission]. We're good buddies," said Brown. The last time power was cut off, she said, the family went without for two weeks.

It's an unsettling experience for Brown, who said she had worked all her life before the downturn. And she has trouble understanding why some lawmakers would balk at reauthorizing unemployment payments when the labor market remains so soft.

More than 100,000 Floridians receiving federal jobless benefits will lose their payments over the next several weeks if Congress does not reauthorize them. Each week, an additional 41,000 recipients are added to that group. In all, about 2 million Americans would lose benefits by the end of December without congressional action.

Brown said she doesn't want to expand the nation's budget deficit, but right now, she said, it would be counterproductive and cruel to cut off the unemployed from their primary source of income.

"I have two kids, and I've got to keep a roof over their heads. I've got to keep them warm and safe," said Brown. "We're out here dealing with this, and I don't know if they [lawmakers] realize that."

This is the third time in a year that funding for federal unemployment benefits has lapsed. Each time, the program has been renewed but only after weeks of objection by the GOP.

Republicans have said they do not object to reauthorizing the payments — which max out at $300 a week in Florida — but they have pushed, unsuccessfully, to cover the costs by finding the money elsewhere in the federal budget.

This time, Republicans used unemployment as a bargaining chip in their push to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. In the deal struck with Obama, GOP leaders agreed to reauthorize federal unemployment payments for 13 months if the administration and congressional Democrats are willing to offer the tax cuts to families making more than $250,000.

The package outlined by Obama, which also includes a break on payroll taxes, would add about $900 billion to the federal deficit. It comes as lawmakers from both parties preach the gospel of deficit reduction. Democratic legislators reacted coolly to the proposal, saying it's a giveaway for the wealthy. Vice President Joe Biden was dispatched to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to build support for the plan.

Orlando's Jeff Wojtanowski hopes Biden works quickly.

Wojtanowski, 43, was laid off late last year from his job as the general manager of a chain of cigar stores. When the news came, he was making $74,000 a year and had been with the company for 11 years.

Now, he says his unemployment insurance will run out by the end of January. Without congressional action, he cannot move into the next tier of coverage, and that will make it difficult to pay his bills.

Wojtanowski and his wife have already sold stock, borrowed against her retirement plan and sold personal belongings online to cover expenses. Unemployment, he said, is a crucial part of staying afloat financially.

"I juggle my bills around it," he said. "It's more or less spent before it hits the bank account."